Autumn In Bristol Brings The 52nd Annual Mumfest

BRISTOL — When the Mum Festival began in 1962, commercially grown chrysanthemums covered acres of the city's Chippens Hill section and drew thousands of visitors eager to see magnificent colors set off by the early autumn landscape.

The major nurseries are long gone, but the annual celebration has grown into Bristol's biggest and most popular gathering of the year.

Starting Friday, Bristol launches a three-weekend series of community events highlighted by its popular Mum Festival Parade on Sunday. The parade typically draws 20 or more floats, and is a major rivalry for the central Connecticut high school bands that march each year.

In some years when the parade coincided with particularly good weather, police have estimated the crowd at nearly 20,000. The usual turnout is well below that, but it's not uncommon for parade-goers to be lined up three or four deep along the North Main Street stretch of the route. Some politicians who march each year say they consider what they hear along the way as a bellwether of local opinion about road conditions, taxes, schools and even the upcoming elections.

The parade steps off at 1:30 p.m. on Race Street from North Main, and proceeds to West Street, South Street, Mellon Street and Memorial Boulevard before heading back up North Main to end in front of city hall. Organizers advise that the best parking will be at the Bristol Centre Mall site, at the end of Old Center Mall, at the end of North Main and South streets, at Associated Spring, along Riverside Avenue and in the parking lot of the former Memorial Boulevard School.

Also on the first weekend is the heart of the festival: A fair on Memorial Boulevard that runs Friday from 5 to 9 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 7:30 p.m. Organizers promise a "dunk your politician" booth along with a classic car show, live music, jugglers, food booths, children's games and activities, crafts booths and tethered balloon rides.

Also scheduled during the three weekends: The downtown firehouse will host open houses, the Swedish Social Club will hold an Oktoberfest, Bristol Hospital will hold a health fair, runners will take part in the 44th annual Mum-a-Thon road race, and there will be a performance by the Bristol Brass & Wind Ensemble along with the Bristol Choral Society. Organizers wrap up the festivities Oct. 5 with the annual Mum Bingo at St. Ann's Church hall at 5 p.m.

The full schedule is at http://bristolmumfestival.org/mumfestival/pages/schedule2.asp.